Studies show that your typical elementary school girl is pretty amazing: confident, assertive, unafraid to say what she thinks, and full of positive feelings about herself and the world around her. The trick is to keep her that empowered for the rest of her life. And it turns out that the secret is to simply let her be herself.

Click through the above infographic to dig into the science of young female confidence, and find out why it’s important to encourage a girl in your life today.

Join GOOD + GAP in empowering girls everywhere through a series of inspiring stories. Tell us yours and use the hashtag #heyworld.